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Genealogical & Historical Society celebrates 30 years

George Jones, past president of the Henderson County Genealogical and Historical Society, stands in front of some of the first deeds recorded in the county, which are stored at the society's building on Main Street.

Published: Sunday, August 4, 2013 at 4:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, August 2, 2013 at 4:35 p.m.

You can still see the excitement in George Jones' face as he pulls the first book of deeds off the shelf at the Henderson County Genealogical & Historical Society.

The former pastor loves the history of his native Henderson County. Jones was a pastor and college professor in Kentucky and South Carolina for 45 years before returning to Hendersonville 30 years ago.

“When I came back, I discovered there was no historical society here,” he said. “There was no organization.”

Jones became the driving force behind the nonprofit society, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this month.

Humble beginnings

Jones and others held a meeting at Blue Ridge Community College in 1983. At the end of the meeting, people interested in forming a historical society were asked to meet at the front. Those 30 to 40 people became the first members.

In an office at BRCC, the group began working on the society's first publication — “The Heritage of Henderson County Volume 1.”

Over the course of two years, the volunteers poured over newspaper articles and photographs. People brought in family histories.

“That's what it really was,” Jones said, “a report from those individuals.”

For marketing purposes, the society connected with the First Federal Savings and Loan bank in Hendersonville and began selling books in its lobby.

“That brought us downtown,” Jones said. “It made us a countywide organization.”

Sales picked up and membership began to increase. Meanwhile, the society found its first home, moving into a “little narrow building” where “you could touch both walls,” Jones said.

Nonetheless, the building allowed the society to grow in a different way. Beyond memberships and book sales, the history of Henderson County began to grow.

“That was the first opportunity to start a library,” current Board President Ginny Thompson said.

Modern form

A library is what the society has officially become. Over the last three decades, the nonprofit has been collecting the history of the county and its shelves are filled with treasures.

The society moved into its current location at 400 N. Main St. in Hendersonville in 1995. The offices had once been county offices and a bank, but Jones saw an opportunity.

“I began to negotiate with them,” he said, and at first the nonprofit signed a lease arrangement with the county.

The building, which sits on the corner of 4th Avenue and Main, is filled to the brim with old county records including deeds and transactions, old photographs, family histories, birth records and books the society has published, and on the third floor are historical artifacts murals and old newspapers that date back to the late 1800s.

There's tons of history located within its walls, including the first-ever recorded deed in Henderson County. The transaction was the sale of a slave for $50 in 1839.

It isn't just Henderson County history, either. There's history from surrounding states, wars and historical publications. Anyone with a love of history could spend hours there, Thompson said.

“People come here to do research, but we also get letters and emails,” she said. “We do the research and send it to them.”

The library averages around 1,000 visitors a year. Thompson moved to Henderson County in 1998 and has been a part of the society since 1999. She's been the president for 12 years.

Thompson came into the library for research of her new home.

“You just kind of get drawn in,” she said.

‘Special place'

The draw for people is history. While there's a movement to digitize records to preserve them beyond the books on the shelves, the mission of the society remains the same, Thompson said.

“We're still pretty happy with the piece of paper,” she joked.

The mission of the nonprofit is one of importance, she added. It's the preservation of who and what Henderson County is and how it became what it is today. It's the stories of families and towns through pictures, documents, ancestor writings and many other items. It's a world, Thompson said, that most don't discover an interest in until they've reached an older age.

“I think it's possibly more important than people realize,” Thompson said. “This is a special place. What we've put together here, I think, is pretty amazing.”

Jones agrees. The 93-year-old is happy with how far the society has come.

<p>You can still see the excitement in George Jones' face as he pulls the first book of deeds off the shelf at the Henderson County Genealogical & Historical Society. </p><p>The former pastor loves the history of his native Henderson County. Jones was a pastor and college professor in Kentucky and South Carolina for 45 years before returning to Hendersonville 30 years ago.</p><p>“When I came back, I discovered there was no historical society here,” he said. “There was no organization.”</p><p>Jones became the driving force behind the nonprofit society, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this month. </p><p><b>Humble beginnings</b></p><p>Jones and others held a meeting at Blue Ridge Community College in 1983. At the end of the meeting, people interested in forming a historical society were asked to meet at the front. Those 30 to 40 people became the first members. </p><p>In an office at BRCC, the group began working on the society's first publication — “The Heritage of Henderson County Volume 1.”</p><p>Over the course of two years, the volunteers poured over newspaper articles and photographs. People brought in family histories. </p><p>“That's what it really was,” Jones said, “a report from those individuals.”</p><p>For marketing purposes, the society connected with the First Federal Savings and Loan bank in Hendersonville and began selling books in its lobby.</p><p>“That brought us downtown,” Jones said. “It made us a countywide organization.”</p><p>Sales picked up and membership began to increase. Meanwhile, the society found its first home, moving into a “little narrow building” where “you could touch both walls,” Jones said. </p><p>Nonetheless, the building allowed the society to grow in a different way. Beyond memberships and book sales, the history of Henderson County began to grow. </p><p>“That was the first opportunity to start a library,” current Board President Ginny Thompson said. </p><p><b>Modern form</b></p><p>A library is what the society has officially become. Over the last three decades, the nonprofit has been collecting the history of the county and its shelves are filled with treasures. </p><p>The society moved into its current location at 400 N. Main St. in Hendersonville in 1995. The offices had once been county offices and a bank, but Jones saw an opportunity.</p><p>“I began to negotiate with them,” he said, and at first the nonprofit signed a lease arrangement with the county. </p><p>The building, which sits on the corner of 4th Avenue and Main, is filled to the brim with old county records including deeds and transactions, old photographs, family histories, birth records and books the society has published, and on the third floor are historical artifacts murals and old newspapers that date back to the late 1800s. </p><p>There's tons of history located within its walls, including the first-ever recorded deed in Henderson County. The transaction was the sale of a slave for $50 in 1839. </p><p>It isn't just Henderson County history, either. There's history from surrounding states, wars and historical publications. Anyone with a love of history could spend hours there, Thompson said. </p><p>“People come here to do research, but we also get letters and emails,” she said. “We do the research and send it to them.”</p><p>The library averages around 1,000 visitors a year. Thompson moved to Henderson County in 1998 and has been a part of the society since 1999. She's been the president for 12 years. </p><p>Thompson came into the library for research of her new home. </p><p>“You just kind of get drawn in,” she said. </p><p><b>'Special place'</b></p><p>The draw for people is history. While there's a movement to digitize records to preserve them beyond the books on the shelves, the mission of the society remains the same, Thompson said. </p><p>“We're still pretty happy with the piece of paper,” she joked. </p><p>The mission of the nonprofit is one of importance, she added. It's the preservation of who and what Henderson County is and how it became what it is today. It's the stories of families and towns through pictures, documents, ancestor writings and many other items. It's a world, Thompson said, that most don't discover an interest in until they've reached an older age. </p><p>“I think it's possibly more important than people realize,” Thompson said. “This is a special place. What we've put together here, I think, is pretty amazing.”</p><p>Jones agrees. The 93-year-old is happy with how far the society has come. </p><p>“I'm very proud of it,” he said. </p><p>Reach Millwood at 828-694-7881 or at joey.millwood@blueridgenow.com.</p>